Iran got missile boost from North Korea: US

A US intelligence assessment concludes that Iran has received advanced North Korean missiles capable of targeting Western European capitals and giving the Islamic Republic's arsenal a significantly farther reach than previously disclosed.


The suspected shipment - mentioned among the flood of classified state department memos obtained by WikiLeaks - could also give Iran an important boost toward joining the powerful group of nations with intercontinental ballistic missiles, defense experts said on Monday.

The US suspicions carry still another jolt: reinforcing international fears about the possibility of closer nuclear cooperation in the future between Iran and North Korean engineers, who have already staged atomic tests.

US officials presented the claim in a meeting with top Russian security officials in late 2009 but did not offer conclusive evidence of the transfer of at least 19 so-called BM-25 missiles, according to the confidential Feb. 24 memo posted by WikiLeaks.

It also noted that " Russia does not think the BM-25 exists" and questioned why there have been no Iranian tests of the missile, believed to be based on a Russian design that could be fitted with nuclear warheads.

Still, the US-Russia meeting found ample common ground over concerns that North Korea appears to be actively engaged with Iran in exporting weapons systems and possible nuclear expertise. A UN report accusing North Korea of exporting banned nuclear and missile technology to Iran, Syria and Myanmar was sent to the Securit [...]